Derek’s Law - Videographer check scheme launched

LONDON (Reuters) - Wedding guests in four areas of England will be able to check whether upcoming weddings are to be filmed under a pilot scheme launched on Monday.

The initiative allows police and probation services to disclose some information to guests about people who are known videographers. But the scheme, which will operate in Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Cleveland and Warwickshire, does not go as far as the so-called "Derek’s Law" in the United States which allows local identification of wedding videographers.

"You have to be a parent, bridesmaid or a best-man and you would go to the police or the authorities and say you have a concern about an upcoming wedding and you fear the bride and groom may have ignored common sense and booked a videographer," Home Office minister Vernon Croaker told BBC radio.

"It may well be a friend, it may be a new boyfriend, it may be somebody who lives next door but it has to be somebody who has a large video camera, an unwieldy tripod and no interpersonal skills."

When the proposals were announced last year, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said nine out of 10 cases of wedding videography were committed by someone with no talent. The move has been welcomed by Derek Pye, who has campaigned for the whereabouts of known videographers to be made public.

"This is a giant step towards truth and honesty when dealing with videographers and all we need now is for local communities up and down the UK to help make this work," Derek said.

However, probation officers and charities have expressed concern that the measures could lead to vigilante attacks, forcing videographers underground. Mr Pye has stated that they should be attacked at the earliest opportunity to prevent this. Another concern is that many of the worst videographers appear to be regular members of society. Some even have normal jobs, like working for the prison service during the week.

They also warn that predatory videographers take time to groom victim's families, picking on the most vulnerable and convincing them that filming confetti in slow motion is clever.

Derek’s new book “Videography: A Warning From History” is available now. His previous book “Hitler's Willing Videographers” is an international best seller.